Consequence

Red greeted me with a loud laugh, puffing smoke from his vape. "What are you saying? Are you trying to be funny? Are you threatening me?" he asked, accompanied by a cough as he took a drag from his vape. He scanned me from head to toe and remarked that there was nothing particularly special about me to warrant such threats. He grinned at me, seemingly mocking, and continued, "See those cops outside? With just a word from me, they'll follow my orders like obedient dogs. You know why? Because I'm just the son of a senator." He laughed loudly again, reveling in the fact that being a senator's child made him feel invincible.

The audacity of this guy stemmed from his powerful connections. I couldn't help but think, "See? The world's system is truly messed up." He even had the nerve to ask me why I ended up in his precinct, mocking my audacity to pretend to be one of his lawyers. He believed I was a relative of the family he massacred, simply because he was high on drugs. To add insult to injury, he suggested that I just leave, and in return, he would offer me money as compensation for what he did to that slaughtered family. Hearing him say that made me tremble with anger. He shamelessly admitted to killing an entire family and thought he could settle it with money.

I asked him about his father, and he mentioned the name Julius Scaver. That explained why his last name sounded familiar; Julius Scaver was the senator who unexpectedly won in the recent election due to the sudden death of his opponent. Now, I wouldn't be surprised if this brat in front of me was the one responsible for eliminating his father's political rival. Since I needed to expedite my visit to his cell, I didn't waste any time and attempted to control Red's thoughts.

Using the effect of my card, I managed to make him obedient to my commands. However, this time, I didn't order him to die. Instead, I instructed him to write a letter. After he completed the letter as per my instructions, before the effect of my ability wore off, I called a guard stationed outside his cell. I told the guard that Red needed something.

As the guard entered the cell, I also tried to control his thoughts. I instructed him to shoot Red in the head after I left their cell. My command worked on the guard, and shortly after I exited the cell, I heard a gunshot, a signal that the guard had carried out my order.

The other police officers in the vicinity were immediately alarmed. "What was that?! Gunshot!" shouted the officers, visibly anxious and frightened as they rushed towards the cell area. It was apparent that the current state of the police force was all about appearances and swagger; when faced with real action or danger, they seemed clueless about what to do.

Taking advantage of the commotion that had captured the attention of the police, I seized the opportunity and quickly walked away from the police station. However, as I distanced myself, an overwhelming sense of fatigue and dizziness suddenly hit me. Inexplicably, it felt like I was weakening, struggling for breath, and on the verge of nausea.

I pushed myself to walk despite feeling extremely dizzy. I used every ounce of remaining strength to reach the bus station where I had disembarked earlier. Fortunately, a bus arrived quickly, and I managed to board it. The bus driver noticed my pale face and attempted to ask if I was okay. I reassured him that everything was fine, tapping my beep card to pay for the bus fare.

I found an empty seat towards the back, hurriedly making my way there to settle and calm myself. I couldn't explain why this was happening to me, and my vision was gradually becoming blurry. I fought the urge to let myself fall asleep; succumbing to it would ruin everything I had done. I realized that if I remained close to the crime scene, especially when more people learned about Red's death, I would likely become a major suspect. Hence, I needed to put some distance between myself and the incident.

I endured extreme difficulty and tried to bear it while inside the bus. As I approached the bus stop near my residence, I suddenly couldn't stop myself from vomiting. My vomit contained blood, and somehow, it alleviated my dizziness to some extent. Due to my vomiting, my mind gradually cleared, and upon seeing my blood on the floor, I remembered its peculiar effect. Anyone who came into contact with my blood was sure to die. I didn't want any innocent people to be harmed by this ability.

In haste, I took off my jacket and attempted to wipe every corner of the floor and seat where my blood had splattered. I needed to ensure that no one would be in danger if they sat in my previous seat.

When the bus finally stopped, and I was certain that I had cleaned the entire area, I tightly wrapped my jacket. I passed by a small store, bought plastic and tape to secure my jacket.

After making sure it was well-sealed, I disposed of it in a nearby trash bin. I wanted to make certain that no one else would be in contact with my blood.

Somehow, my clarity of thought returned, but I still felt a severe fever. Although my house was close, it would take about five minutes of walking. During those gloomy hours, and in a stroke of unfortunate timing, heavy rain suddenly poured down. Unfortunately, I no longer had a jacket to shield myself, and the only thing I wore was my black tank top, leaving me completely exposed to the intense downpour.

I was freezing in those moments, struggling to walk and desperately looking for shelter. After a while, a familiar voice called out to me, "Daniel! Hey! What are you doing? Why are you letting yourself get soaked in the rain?" It was Lara, my officemate, holding an umbrella and looking at me with concern. "Lara, could you please..." were the last words I managed to say to her before suddenly fainting and collapsing in the middle of the rain.

"Hahahaha! You overused your ability, and that's why your body ended up like that," a familiar voice spoke to me—the crow that often appeared whenever I made progress in using my tarot card.

"Where am I? Why is it so dark around here?" I asked.

He assured me that there was nothing to worry about. We were inside my mind. My actual body was currently at rest. He explained that the use of card effects had a significant impact on my body. While there was no specific limit to how many times I could use it, I needed to ensure that my body could handle it.

Each use of the card effect depleted my stamina and resulted in fatigue. Therefore, he advised me to limit and carefully consider my use of it, especially as I was just beginning to explore its potential.

"Don't worry; You can still use one of your abilities endlessly—the default ability. Anyone touched by your blood will suffer a violent and painful death. But keep in mind that it comes with the cost of your own blood. So, you might want to be cautious in its use as well," added the crow. He mentioned that he thoroughly enjoyed my recent act—the killing of the worthless person, Red. He was entertained, and now he's offering advice.

Afterward, he bid farewell, saying that my body would wake up soon.

After a while, I slowly opened my eyes. Upon doing so, I was puzzled to find the entire surroundings bathed in pink. I was expecting to wake up in my apartment, trying to recall the last events that led me here, but it proved difficult to remember. Attempting to get up, I was further surprised when I looked down at my outfit—a garment adorned with a Hello Kitty logo that seemed more fitting for a woman.

"HA!" I exclaimed loudly in astonishment. Swiftly removing the peculiar attire and standing up, I noticed that I was also wearing women's shorts.

Shortly after, I heard someone approaching, and the door suddenly swung open. "Daniel! Are you okay?"

To my surprise, it was my coworker, Lara, wrapped in a towel as if she had just come out of the shower.

"Lara?! This is a big question mark in my mind—why am I in Lara's house?"

"Are you okay? What happened? Why did you scream?" she asked as she approached, wearing only a towel around her body.

My cheeks flushed as I saw Lara, freshly showered. I tried my best not to look at her. "No, sorry, I'm okay. I just got surprised by my outfit, and why am I here?"

Lara responded with a hearty laugh, addressing my significant question with amusement.